Iran's Basij Force Returns Stolen Torah Manuscripts to Jewish Community

TEHRAN (FNA) - An ancient hand-written Torah that was stolen from a synagogue in Southern Iran was found by Iran's Basij (volunteer) force and returned to the Jewish community.

Date: 22 February 2015 - 20:20

News ID: ۱۱۲۶۰

After a number of ancient Torah manuscripts were lost in a synagogue in Shiraz, the capital city of Iran's Southern Fars province, a few days ago, Iran's Basij units could find one of the holy books, which has been described as invaluable, and returned it to the Jewish community on the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution (February 11).
During the ceremony, the representative of the Iranian Jewish community at the parliament, Siamak Mareh Sedq, in a letter to Basij Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi appreciated the efforts of the Basij forces, saying the move displayed the respect and value that the Islamic establishment attaches to the divine religions.
"I am bound to extend my deepest appreciation to your colleagues in Fars province's Basij Force for their efforts to discover the hand-written holy Torah that was lost from a synagogue in the city of Shiraz," he said in the letter.
Iranian officials have always underscored the necessity for respecting all religions and their followers in Iran.
Iranian President’s Special Adviser for Religious and Ethnic Minorities’ Affairs Ali Younesi said earlier this month that Islam (which is the official religion in Iran) has not allowed its followers to insult any religion and instead has urged them to respect all believers.